Local search engine optimization, or local SEO, is a set of processes designed to improve a site’s online presence in the search engines’ organic search results. Organic traffic comes from real users clicking on links and represents the majority of search results, with the greatest potential for long term, high quality traffic. Local SEO makes sense for any business seeking to build its brand or increase awareness in its local community.
How does local SEO work?
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) determines how high a site appears in the natural or paid search results of popular search engines like Google and Yahoo! by analyzing the text in the meta tags, title, and images. These tags sit inside the HTML of any website and handle keyword targeting.
What are the most effective local SEO strategies?
Three core tactics should be explored when starting out:
- Site map and local address listings. Creating both ensures clients can find you and access contact information.
- Keyword and location optimization. Optimize your pages for the key phrases, keywords, and areas tied to your physical location.
- Directory submissions. Submitting your URL to major search directories is a solid way to get noticed. Many of the top three search engines send users to local searches by surfacing the pages on your site that rank highly. Your URL should appear at the top of the results page and in the location area, making clients aware of your presence online.
Where should keywords go?
One of the top ranking factors used by search engines is the placement of your keywords. Keywords are the key phrases and words people enter when conducting a search, and they form a digital footprint on engines like Google and Yahoo!. Alongside those footprints, your website content needs to be relevant and informative, which helps raise your search ranking.
Why do organic search results matter for local SEO?
Organic search results are the listings that appear naturally without paid advertising. They are driven by natural searches and are far more likely to be picked up by customers looking for the products and services you offer. To benefit from them, you need high traffic from visitors directed to your website, not just those who land on the first page of the SERPs.
How can you rank higher organically?
Conduct online research using the key phrase or words you intend to rank highly for, then incorporate them into your web copy. Try to use the same tone and voice as you would in an SEO article so your marketing speaks to the same target audience, which increases your chances of reaching the top three rankings.
What if you can’t crack the top three?
If a particular key phrase stays out of reach, run a local SEO campaign using location-specific keywords in your URL, link signals, and sitemaps. These keywords are based on the location of your business rather than domain or generic keywords. A business in Vancouver is unlikely to rank highly for “appliance repairs” in Sydney, but it would be worth testing whether a search for “wet-wall paint” in Brisbane produces different results.
FAQ
What is local SEO?
Local SEO is a set of processes designed to improve a site’s online presence in the search engines’ organic search results. It is most useful for businesses that want to build their brand or increase awareness in their local community.
What ranking factors matter most for local SEO?
Search engines weigh the placement of keywords throughout meta tags, titles, and images, and they also look at the quality of the website, the number of incoming links, page quality, and relationships with popular content providers. Location-specific keywords in URLs, link signals, and sitemaps also influence local rankings.
Why focus on organic results instead of paid ads?
Organic results are generated by natural searches rather than paid placements, and they are far more likely to be picked up by customers searching for the products and services a business offers. Organic traffic also represents the majority of search results and offers the greatest potential for long term, high quality traffic.